A university wrestler who desperately shouted “get me some water” but was denied it by coaches because of his poor performance died of heatstroke, a police report says.
Grant Brace, 20, a student at the University of Cumberland in Kentucky, was not given water by his coaches as a punishment for how he was training, it was revealed.
He was made to carry out repeated sprints up a 200 feet “punishment hill” on a hot day and was not allowed to have a drink after asking for it as he fell behind the rest of training colleagues.
“Guys, I need water. Get me some water,” the 20-year-old pleaded during the first day of wrestling conditioning at the University of the Cumberlands on August 31, 2020, reported Local112.com.
Even as he appeared to speak incoherently and was twitching he was still denied water, witnesses told local police in Williamsburg, Kentucky, it is reported.
Then two hours after the practice session had finished, Mr Brace was found on the ground, collapsed in his own vomit and medical officials said he died of heatstroke.
Police are believed to have interviewed more than 40 members of the wrestling team during the investigation into Mr Brace’s death.
It was found that after Mr Brace had fallen behind during the sprints and took a breather, he was told to “leave the hill and clean out his locker” by the coaches.
He did reportedly go to the locker room and then returned saying he wanted to continue.
“Some witnesses describe a lot of verbal abuse by the coaches and even teammates as Grant continued to attempt sprints up the hill,” Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said, reported Local112.com.
“Witnesses describe a short team meeting on the hill after the sprints when Grant was holding on to a small tree limb, swaying back and forth, saying, ‘I can’t stand'.”
After the practice Mr Brace was on gym mat begging for water and while a teammate tried to cool him down with ice, a coach stopped him due to his poor performance, said the report.
It was at this point that he started to go incoherent and to twitch before leaving the gym. He was later found two hours later on all fours covered in vomit.
“Heatstroke is where your core temperature elevates above 104 degrees (40C,” national heat expert Bud Cooper told Local112.com.
“Usually with heatstroke, individuals have lost consciousness. And again you can pick them out. You will start to see them. They will lose their ability to continue an activity. They’ll be lethargic. They’ll have an inability to communicate.”
Mr Brace’s family are taking legal action against the school, claiming coaches failed to protect Mr Brace’s health and safety, it is reported, while police continue to investigate what happened.
Jordan Countryman and Jake Sinkovics are accused of gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress, it is reported.
